If You're a Rookie to Sports Romance Fiction, Here's Your Reading List

Stuff this in your beach bag for a frothy read you won’t want to put down. Years ago, Chloe had a secret crush on Matt, her childhood friend who, at the time, was on the brink of a successful career as a racecar driver. The two grew apart as Matt left to pursue his dreams—until now, when a horrible crash puts Matt on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Chloe, an F1 expert in her own right, has been appointed as one of the first female team principals. As she navigates sexism and other related workplace challenges, she gets a surprise she didn’t see in any of her rearview mirrors: Matt belongs to the team she’s managing. While Chloe helps Matt rebuild his confidence, the two grow closer. But will Chloe let her guard down so they can drive into the sunset? With underdogs you’ll root for almost as much as the Knicks and workplace romance to boot, Drive Me Crazy is an ideal vacation read.

Olivia Hinckley has waited her entire life for this moment. Finally, she has a chance to exact revenge on the Parkers, the family who ruined her father’s life. In a match before she was born, Erik Parker delivered a hit that not only ended her dad’s professional ice hockey career but saddled him with ongoing health issues. So, when a job comes up to work as the mascot for the very same NHL team that Erik’s son, Brody, plays for, Olivia knows now is her chance to even the playing field…er, ice rink.

The strategy? Get close to Brody to learn the ins and outs of his hockey dynasty family—and maybe break his heart. But as the two get to know one another, they realize they may have more in common than their love for ice hockey.

If you loved the Netflix documentary Glitter & Gold or Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, The Favorites belongs in your TBR list. An immersive dual-narrative, drama-fueled look at competitive figure skating, The Favorites explores the sacrifices athletes make to be at the top of their game.

Kat and Heath are basically family. Figure skating partners since childhood, the two have become unstoppable, earning a ticket to Nationals. But when an accident involving their rivals, Garrett and Bella Lin, derails their performance, Kat becomes convinced that training with their biggest competition is the only way to achieve their Olympic dreams. After moving to L.A. to join the Lins, Kat finds herself enthralled by the twins and their mother, who also coaches them, while Heath grows increasingly suspicious of their approach to skating (and resentful of their blossoming bond). As partners swap and shift, unlikely love triangles emerge between triple axels, further complicating the relationships on and off the ice—culminating in a disaster no one will fully recover from.

The second novel in Alexa Martin’s The Playbook series, Fumbled, follows Poppy, a mother, waitress, and force to be reckoned with. After she was abandoned by her boyfriend and her parents when she was 16 and pregnant, Poppy moved to Denver to live with her aunt and make a life for her and her son, Ace. To give him every opportunity possible, Poppy serves tables at the Emerald Cabaret, even though she despises the customers and her coworkers. Still, it’s steady and pays the bills. But eventually, she finds herself swept up in drama regarding Ace’s father, the fictional NFL team the Denver Mustangs, and a secret she promised never to reveal. But with Ace’s identity and her heart on the line, she has to decide whether she’s ready to air the truth, potentially threatening to destroy everything she’s built since moving to Denver, even if it could mean a joyful future for her family.

For those who carry a torch for second-chance romances, believe in the power of Jordyn Woods’ bag, and watched WAGS the first time around, this book won’t disappoint. Martin, who’s married to retired NFL player Derrick Martin, imbues the novel with insider details that elevate the reading experience. You feel like you’re right beside Poppy, cheering for her to make a move.

Leighton’s life was just how she liked it: quiet. Until one day, she receives a phone call that changes everything. Her cousin, Skylar, and Skylar’s husband have tragically died, and now she’s been entrusted with the care of their three children. Daunted, defeated, and grieving, Leighton leans on her best friend’s older brother, Hayes, an acclaimed baseball player who’s hoping to revamp his image.

He couldn’t have arrived soon enough. As Leighton becomes devoted to the children, a surprise bid for custody shakes her to her core. In an effort to prove she’s capable of caring for the kids, she and Hayes enter a faux relationship to prove she’s not without a support system. But the two have history, and as they spend more time together, Leighton wonders if their past couldn’t turn into her future.

If slow-burn romances with a side of longing are your thing, pick up this first installment in Piper Rayne’s The Dugout series. With endearing undertones of ‘90s rom-coms like She’s All That and Jerry Maguire, this novel delivers all the feels.

Ever dream about your celebrity crush randomly showing up in your life? Well, for How You Get the Girl protagonist Julie Parker, her fantasies are about to become her reality. A school fundraiser by day and a girls’ basketball coach by night, Julie has long nursed a sweet spot for WNBA legend Elle Cochrane. So, when the superstar strolls into her gym, Julie has to pinch herself to make sure she’s not hallucinating. Arriving at Julie’s gym with Vanessa, her niece who’s recently come into her care, Elle hopes basketball could provide a healthy outlet for the girl.

When Vanessa proves to be a troublemaker, Julie brokers a deal with Elle: Vanessa can join the team, so long as Elle signs on as East Nashville High’s newest assistant basketball coach. From free-throw technique to dribbling drills, Julie is more than prepared to coach her team to the top, but she doesn’t anticipate how much she can learn from Elle about basketball—and herself.

This sapphic sport romance is full of feels. Broadening the characters with believable flaws and fears, readers will cheer for Julie as she’s given license to explore her sexuality and maybe find a nothing-but-net love.

Can you be an underdog and the owner of a professional baseball team? Ask Reese Remington, the 35-year-old who just inherited the Chicago Warriors from her grandfather. The first female team owner in Major League Baseball, Reese is continuously disrespected. In the office, board members sabotage her, and in the dugout, the field manager, Emmett, is on his way to becoming her arch nemesis.

But when Reese proposes cutting loose Harrison Kaiser, the toxic outfielder whose contract is bleeding the Warriors dry, Emmett is surprised with the call, and soon their workplace rivalry evolves into a workplace romance. With a sharp statement on the gender inequity in male sports leagues, no matter where you are on the org chart, Liz Tomforde's In Her Own League is a sumptuous story about trusting yourself and taking risks.

Battling through the rounds at the U.S. Open is a feat for any athlete. For 24-year-old Austin Hardy, the first openly gay tennis player in the competition, the expectations of his family, coach, and community are overwhelming—even as he wins. Austin slowly crumbles under the pressure, threatening to disrupt his game in the process. To make matters worse, Diego Cruz, the No. 2 seed, is ready and willing to kick Austin off his throne.

Isolated and laden with anxiety, Austin looks to the one person who might understand what he’s going through, at least professionally. Despite the potential ramifications for their games, he spends time with Diego and develops a friendship outside of the tennis court. It’s a dangerous alliance, one that threatens to end with someone losing it all.

This debut trains its gaze on the emotional and mental strain athletes often shoulder. With a slow-burn romance and stakes that only continue to go up, up, up, The Open Era’s cliffhanger will have you hoping this is just the first set of a new series.

Former model Cat Cromwell has developed the perfect side gig: She’s a professional heartbreaker, using her looks and style to put cheating boyfriends in their place. Her latest target? An F1 racecar driver who sped away from the altar, leaving his fiancée in the dust.

But her plan goes awry when she learns her mark is no longer with the team, and she’s been assigned to work with Faust, an annoyingly nice driver. Soon, though, Cat begins to yearn for his delicate approach and thoughtful gestures. It’s a balm to the stress of supporting her family and negotiating grief that’s threatened to pull her under. With Faust by her side, Cat learns to relinquish control and let someone else in the driver’s seat for a change.

A scorcher of a read, The Paddock Club offers slow-burn tension that squeals over the finish line most satisfyingly. Madge Maril wonderfully delves into not only misogyny and the stereotypes often assigned to women, but she also presents a look at class, too. Want more? The Paddock Club is actually the second entry into the author’s F1 series. You can check out Slipstream, the first of the series, too.

All Katherine Parker had to do was stick to her plan. Measure her water intake, follow her fierce training regime, and avoid any distractions that could keep her from winning a place in the U.S. Olympic rowing team. Then her boyfriend breaks up with her at the start line of an important race, derailing her strategy, and she finishes last.

Booted from her team, Katherine returns home to lick her wounds and train solo for the Pan Am Games, her last shot to earn a spot on the Olympic team. In need of a coach, Katherine winds up working with Adrian, whose training philosophy majorly conflicts with hers. Where Katherine thrives off metrics, Adrian emphasizes staying in the moment. As the two struggle to blend their training methods, Adrian shows Katherine how powerful it can be to listen to your heart.

A former competitive sprint kayaker, Ann Adams highlights her knowledge of elite sports, training, and rowing throughout Racing Hearts. Sidestepping jargon and digging into the power dynamics of coach-athlete relationships, Adams delivers a page-turner rooted in well-rendered characters and a galloping plot.

Friday Night Lights might have debuted 20 years ago, but it’s still inspiring some of the best (and spiciest!) sports-romance novels around. Take, for example, Ready to Score, a romance that follows Jade Dunn, a coach who has had to fight tooth and nail to be accepted in the world of South Carolina high school football. After years of working to infiltrate the good ol’ boys club, she’s finally received an invitation to a poker game that has the power to seal her spot as the next head football coach. But she can’t focus—namely because her main competition is Francesca, a hot teacher she can’t keep her eyes off.

As Jade and Francesca square off to fill the coveted head coaching role, flames ignite between them, bringing a whole new meaning to the word touchdown. With an unflinching look at the misogyny women experience in the football coaching space, Jodie Slaughter douses the characters in the heady yearning that can only come from crushing on your biggest competition.

Connor has made a terrible mistake. He’s allowed himself to be convinced by his girlfriend, Thalia, to move to San Diego, live with her family, and attend grad school together. He’d imagined the two of them laughing through sun-soaked adventures and date nights under the stars. Instead, Thalia is never home, and her dad is a Class-A jerk, leaving Connor without someone to play soccer with. Until he spies Thalia’s younger brother, Dane, in a pick-up game on the beach. The two hang out, and as time passes, Connor questions things about himself he always considered unwavering. Meanwhile, Dane is grappling with past abuse and trauma he experienced at the hands of his family, forcing him to protect his truth—even if it means missing out on what he’s always dreamed of.

The sophomore novel in Jonah Yorke’s Like Teammates series, Salt investigates the tangled process of self-acceptance, infidelity, and how to build a chosen family. Grab a copy to read between World Cup matches. It won’t disappoint.